Shadows
by makos-lightningrod
Summary: Prompt: Mako and Korra's first date.


Korra didn't know what to really expect. All he told her was that she didn't need to be all dressy if she thought it was going to be that kind of date. Otherwise, she was blind going into this.

They arrived back in Republic City after a month of being at the South Pole. She had debated whether or not to return with the others, considering that she missed home deeply. But the aftermath of Amon's exposure to the public, she knew she had to go back and see things through just as Aang and Zuko intended.

It was only their fourth day back and Mako was deeply set on giving her a proper date as her boyfriend.

Boyfriend.

She still wasn't used to calling him that. It made her smile. She often told him they could have gone penguin sledding or ice fishing when they were still at the South Pole, but he refused. Those were things someone did with a group. What he wanted to do was just to be shared with her. Or at least that was what he had told her.

He gave her strict instructions to come by his new apartment. The arena had been rebuilt to accommodate the junior pro-bending league and Bolin had volunteered to train some of the kids. Toza had come back and begrudgingly offered them their attic back.

Korra had traipsed over to the gym and walked in as she used to the old one, easily finding her way around. The groundwork was still the same and for that she was thankful. She didn't want to miss her first date with her new boyfriend.

Boyfriend. Boyfriend. Boyfriend. Boyfriend. Boyfriend.

She came to the attic trapdoor and knocked on it gently. Before long, it was pulled open and she was staring up at him. "Hey!" He greeted her with excitement before glancing over at something. "Okay-" He held his hands in front of her and cleared his throat. "-close your eyes. I'm not done yet. So…Yeah. Close your eyes."

She stared at him and huffed. "Fine," she muttered, closing her eyes. She felt his hands slip into hers and lead her up and into the attic. Her eyes twitched to open, but she refused and scowled. "This is not fair. I did not come here to play hide and seek."

"Would you really complain?" teased Mako as he leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her lips. "But seriously. Give me a minute. I was having a bit of trouble." He pulled away and she could hear him moving back, rummaging around with something.

After a full two minutes (she counted), she felt his hands on her shoulders and edged her in the other direction. "Okay. You can open your eyes."

When she did, she didn't know what she was looking at. "Oh." It looked like some odd kind of tent, propped up by a series of poles. The amber light from the inside glowed through, warming her cheeks. The rest of the attic was dark and cool, making the tent seem like the center. "Uh- This is-"

She let him lead her inside where the two of them sat down. He twisted the knob of the radio and tuned it to a station that both of them liked. Between them was a small fire, flickering in a metal canister.

"When I was younger, I used to do this with Bolin," he said softly, looking down at the small flames. "After our parents died, we lived in our house for another three months before they made us leave. The night before we were forced out was the last time we did this."

Korra pulled her knees to her chest and gazed at him. "Mako…" These little reflections of his past made her heartache. She scooted toward him and he opened his arm to her where she nestled against him, her head on his shoulder. "You didn't have to do this…"

"I know." His voice had grown thick with emotion. "But I wanted to do this with you. To show you that…I'd want to share everything with you," he croaked. "I love you, Korra."

She felt her heart skip a beat and touched his face. "I love you, too," she breathed, pulling his mouth to hers. The memory of their second kiss flooded back to her before she wrapped her arms around his neck, sinking into his embrace as he turned to her and fully pulled her into his arms.

Just as their kiss deepened, she heard a song come on. She smiled and stood up, tugging him with her. "Come on, let's dance," she told him. "but I am a horrible dancer. I'm only doing this for you because you did this for me."

Mako laughed quietly and stepped close to her. The tent dipped low and nudged against the tips of his hair before he leaned down and pressed his hand to her hip, taking her free hand in his other. She flushed suddenly and touched her hand to his shoulder. "You lead," she whispered.

"For once," he joked, leading her in a slow dance around the fire. She laughed as he bumped her against one of the poles, their mouths brushing together.

She stepped on his foot and almost jumped away. "Sorry."

He grinned and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her against him so that there was no room for them in between. "I love you," he said in her ear. "And if you think you're going to pull away from me now, you're just an idiot."

Korra closed her eyes and pressed her head to his chest. "You're the only idiot," she smiled, remembering their second ever conversation.


End file.
